Confession: this is really not a review, for reasons that will become evident.When I fell madly in love with Celtic music in 2016 and began to frantically search for more and more Irish and Scottish artists on streaming platforms (they are not so good for the artists but a blessing for the newly converted), I … Continue reading Gillebrìde Macmillan: Sèimh – The State of Calm
Tag: Gaelic
Celtic Connections 2023: Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones, with Gillebrìde MacMillan
The Mackintosh church is probably the most beautiful of all Celtic Connections venues. The late 1800’s designs by the famed architect Rennie James Mackintosh are like music themselves - what better place for a Celtic music gig? As the evening’s first act, Gaelic singer Gillebrìde MacMillan performed songs from his new album, “Sèimh: A State … Continue reading Celtic Connections 2023: Rachel Walker & Aaron Jones, with Gillebrìde MacMillan
Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
If anything here seems interesting, go to your streaming service and try it out. And if you really, really like it, go to the artist’s web site or Bandcamp or iTunes or Google Play or Amazon or wherever and buy it in your preferred format - musicians need food too 😉 The Halton Quartet: Based … Continue reading Listening diary for May 23-29, 2022
Album Review / Mànran: Ùrar
In the course of any band's evolution, there can sometimes appear a point that separates a previous version of the band from the one that's taken its place, even when the name and the overall style remain. As in Genesis after Peter Gabriel, or Deep Purple with Steve Morse instead of Richie Blackmore on the … Continue reading Album Review / Mànran: Ùrar
Q & A with Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie
I have been most impressed by the stunningly innovative albums Tìr and Tuath by the duo of Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie. As I listened to Tuath on powerplay over a few days, several questions began to arise: it's an intriguing and challenging album in many ways and I decided to ask Brian and … Continue reading Q & A with Brian Ó hEadhra and Fiona Mackenzie
Album Review / Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona MacKenzie: Tuath – Songs of the Northlands
...and now for something completely different? The answer is a resounding ”yes” but only if you are not familiar with this innovative team’s previous album, Tìr: Highland Life & Lore, from two years ago. Both Ó hEadhra and MacKenzie are proven and established Celtic musicians who, with Tìr, broke some serious ground with a heady … Continue reading Album Review / Brian Ó hEadhra & Fiona MacKenzie: Tuath – Songs of the Northlands
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